Back Taxes for Blend

Blend, the Ridgewood restaurant that closed after its license was seized by the state, had deeper troubles than just back taxes.

The restaurant filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation with owner Lorie Montenigro indicating the business owed more than $4 million to creditors, not counting more than $20,000 owed to the Internal Revenue Service and $21,000 owed to the State of New Jersey for back sales tax.

The restaurant, which had a lively bar scene and featured a number of musical acts each week, closed a month ago after the state seized its liquor license, but trouble had begun earlier in the year. The filing indicates that Montenegro had not paid the $25,000 monthly rent as far back as April.

Montenigro has not returned e-mails and phone messages left at business addresses. Her home telephone number according to public records searches has been disconnected.

As we’ve reported earlier, Blend’s liquor license will be auctioned to the public at a date to be determined — the first public auction of a liquor license in the village, which has only one license for every 10 restaurants.

The auction was expected to be this month, but Blend’s bankruptcy filing means the auction won’t be scheduled until after a trustee has been appointed by bankruptcy court.

The entire filing can be found here.

Posted by Bill Pitcher on Sep 16, 2008 at 08:33 PM in Eating Out Permalink